Long-term stem cell-based strategies for heart disease aim to rebuild parts of the heart. But investigators like Deepak Srivastava are also looking into more near term goals to regenerate heart muscle from within the existing heart through direct reprogramming. Dr. Srivastava spoke about his recent work in this area to the CIRM Governing Board during the public seminar "Spotlight on Stem Cell Advances in Pediatric Heart Disease". Dr. Srivastava, a CIRM grantee, is director of the Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at The Gladstone Institutes and UCSF.